Mini-truck? Mini-truck vs. Ranger vs. Gator?

[showidaho]

Forgive me if there is a preexisting thread about this, but the search function failed me.

Does anybody have a mini truck they use for farm work? If so, could anyone comment as to how it compares to a Ranger or Gator as far as handling in snow and mud?

The bed is significantly larger and they do have a hydraulic dump option, which I thought would be pretty awesome for cleaning stalls and paddocks. A friend of mine just got one and says that it’s the best thing EVER (better than a Ranger or Gator, but I’m skeptical).

My needs:

Cleaning stalls and paddocks in all conditions (snow, ice, mud, etc).

The ability to plow small areas/move snow so horses can get back and forth to and from the barn and turnouts.

Must have heat and a windshield for my assistant (older dog).

I’m mechanically inept so reliability is a bonus!

Thanks for any advice!

[goodhors]

So what is a mini-truck over a Ranger or S-10? One of those electric ones? I have seen small electric trucks at Colonial Williamsburg, have a nice look but are limited in speed and not 4WD that I know of. So not capable of plowing deep or heavy snow, going thru deep mud. Not sure what they cost either.

Gators even with 4WD do not do well in deep snow. Can’t move if the wheels won’t reach the ground! Even loaded with hay, they get stuck at times. Here in MI, I have managed to strand mine on deep snow a few times and it doesn’t snow badly most years in my location. Have to pull it back to the barn with the tractor.

If you have bad snow, over a foot often, you might want to get a snow blower for the tractor, to clean the paddocks and lanes when needed. You can blow snow OVER the fences and out of the way. I would never consider plowing snow to clean my lanes, just piles it up beside the fences. I would get the truck stuck out in the deep stuff. Bad enough with the 4WD tractor back in 2013-4 and 2014-5 winters! Up past the tractor hubs, axles of moderate size Kubota. I use the Front End Loader and go backwards to “lower my snow” if it is really deep here. I can use the FEL to lift out piles and drop them over the fence. I do lower the snow along fencelines when we get blasted, so no horses try walking out OVER on hardened snow drifts. They like a path to follow in deep snow, so they leave the barnyard and get more exercise just walking around to see what I have been doing in their field.